Angus MacFadyen

With his brooding dark looks and intense blue eyes, Angus Macfadyen made an auspicious debut and gained international prominence as Robert the Bruce in Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning epic "Braveheart" (19...
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20th Century Fox Film via Everett Collection
The stars of Mel Gibson's historical epic Braveheart reunited in Edinburgh, Scotland on Tuesday (24Jun14) to mark 20 years since filming began on the movie.
Actors Brian Cox, David O'Hara, Angus Macfadyen and Peter Mullan reunited on the tartan red carpet to mark the 20th anniversary of filming and to commemorate 700 years since the Battle of Bannockburn, which is portrayed in the final scenes of the Oscar-winning movie.
The actors took part in a question-and-answer session after a special screening of the film, and Gibson, who was unable to attend the event in person, sent in a pre-recorded video message to mark the moment.
In the clip, the film's lead actor and director, said, "It is hard to believe that 20 years ago this month our production got underway in Scotland. And what a production it was. I was fortunate to be able to bring together so many talented people for this project. Together we went into battle with a goal of telling a good story while being cinematically compelling. This evening's event honouring Braveheart two decades later acknowledges that we accomplished what we set out to do... it is very gratifying indeed."
The 1995 film won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Gibson.

AMC
AMC's new period drama, Turn, hopes to show that spies were cool, even in the 18th Century. While that's probably true, the show needs to quickly pick up the pace if it wants to keep its modern audience engaged.
Based in part on Alexander Rose's best-seller, Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring, the show stars Jamie Bell, a Long Island farmer named Abe Woodhull, who is caught between his father (Kevin McNally) who is loyal to the crown, and his childhood friends Ben Tallmedge and Caleb Brewster (Seth Numrich and Daniel Henshall, respectively), Continental Army regulars who are trying to recruit Abe as an informant in British occupied New York during the summer of 1778.
What's more, Abe is married to Mary (Meegan Warner) and has a young son, but his heart truly belongs to local tavern-keeper Anna Strong (Heather Lind), who broke off their engagement over his family's loyalist beliefs.
The pilot does a decent job of setting everything up, with McNally's Quaker judge explaining his son's romantic backstory as he partners with the local British commanding officer, Major Hewitt (Burn Gorman) to keep Abe out of the gallows after he stops a British officer from killing Anna's husband. The fact that the husband is arrested and shipped off anyway provides the impetus for Abe and Anna to renew a closer relationship, as well as for her to assist with the espionage efforts.
The show is beautifully shot and does a terrific job of bringing home the horrors of a war fought up close, as blood flows freely and dead bodies litter every field. The producers have done as good a job as you possibly can in recreating the look and feel of the Revolutionary War era. They also, thankfully, don't spend too much time explaining where we are in terms of historical context, figuring that if viewers don't already know what was happening in 1778 they can go on their website and look it up (something that AMC actively promoted during commercials).
Bell, barely recognizable from his Billy Elliott days, is fine as Abe, even if he did come across as a little too anxious to make sure that we understand the character's internal conflict. The first episode bounced him around so much as we learned where we were in Abe's story that it was hard to get a true read on him. In particular, with the British officers being played as either foppish (Gorman) or brutal (Samuel Roukin's menacing Captain Simcoe) it's hard to understand why Abe's father is on their side. Since this is a series instead of a movie, it would be helpful to explore why they were loyalists in the first place. Lind as Anna, though, is a keeper. Displaying all of the inherent tension of a woman who is forced to be nice to the resident British Army — especially the lecherous Simcoe — when she's a staunch supporter of independence, Lind helped establish the conflict with her body language better than anything in the script.
The stage is set for plenty of drama, as besides being in love with a woman who isn't his wife, Abe's father more or less disowns him and his buddies Tallmedge and Brewster knowingly betray his trust for the greater good. There's also a subplot involving a band of Scottish mercenaries led by Angus MacFadyen's Robert Rogers that, while only briefly added to the mix in the first episode, hints at the cat-and-mouse game to come.
It's obviously limited by the actual history behind the story — let's face it, we all know what the war's outcome will be — but that doesn't mean that the story can't come quicker. The show is done well enough that it will appease the target audience, like fans of the HBO's miniseries John Adams, but for everyone else there probably needs to be more hooks that propel the story and keep viewers interested in what comes next. Otherwise, the audience might just turn away.
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Having inherited the mantle of the serial killer known as Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) tries to cover his tracks while executing yet another elaborate torture scheme and staying one step ahead of FBI agent Peter Strahm (Scott Patterson) who survived his previous encounter with Jigsaw but may not be so lucky this time around. Like so many horror franchises of recent (and not-so-recent) vintage -- Halloween Friday the 13th A Nightmare on Elm Street -- the latest Saw doesn’t deviate from the formula. Endlessly repeating the same rudimentary elements may spell big bucks at the box-office forked over by the Saw faithful but even die-hard fans will be hard-pressed to find something even remotely new or inventive here. In what must be an effort to mix things up screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan revise (i.e. screw around with) some of the earlier film’s plot twists with “new” flashbacks that offer different perspectives than was first depicted. If this is intended to provide surprise to the well-worn storyline it isn’t successful. It only makes a murky story even murkier. Jigsaw may have met his end at the conclusion of Saw IV but Tobin Bell is all over the place this time around seen either in flashback or on television screens. With his menacing whispery delivery Bell can hardly be accused of sleepwalking through his role but one suspects that the basic enticements for him here were top billing -- and the paycheck that goes along with it. The beefy Mandylor skulks his way through the one-dimensional role of Hoffman while Patterson brings a bit of intensity to his role as the dogged Strahm. Betsy Russell fondly remembered as a teen B-movie queen of the 1980s (Private School Avenging Angel) plays Jigsaw’s ex-wife while Meagan Good and Julie Benz (in an ill-fitting black wig) portray two of the latest “players” in the latest Jigsaw puzzle. Shawnee Smith Angus MacFadyen and Danny Glover who all met their onscreen ends in previous installments make token flashback appearances here -- to no discernible effect. Mark Hackl the production designer of Saw II – IV who was originally tapped to direct the fourth installment now makes his directorial debut. As one might expect he retains the decayed urban design of the previous films (which he of course designed) and there are the requisite gallons of gore and guts for those who enjoy that sort of thing. What would the Saw films be without such visceral pleasantries? But for all the technical ingenuity of some of the lethal booby traps there’s a distinct dullness to the proceedings. Saw V is appropriately gruesome but it’s not particularly exciting or suspenseful. As a Halloween scare-fest it’s all trick and no treat … and yes the door is left wide open for another installment. Enough’s enough already.

You can’t buy happiness so why not waste millions of dollars betting on illegal drag races between rare exotic cars. That’s just what L.A. pimp/record producer Infamous (Eddie Griffin) movie mogul Jerry (Tim Matheson) and a sociopath counterfeiter known to his family as Uncle Mike (Angus MacFadyen) like to do with their free time and seemingly endless piles of cash. These guys will gamble on just about anything: For example they bet $1 million Uncle Mike’s nephew can drive from L.A. to Las Vegas in under two hours. An impossible feat made more so by driving at night racing at speeds of over 200 mph through windy desert roads using special night goggles and zipping past CHiPs unnoticed like the Road Runner. But the annual multi-million dollar race is coming and Infamous needs a driver. Enter the movie’s hero and narrator Natasha (Nadia Bjorlin) who has retired from racing and is busy pimping rides and fronting a hair-metal band. After some teasers the mega-stakes illegal drag race kicks off deep in the Nevada desert where a fatal mistake costs one racer their life and another their freedom. The script gives little if any help to the actors in this scattered camp-fest meets a misogynistic hip-hop video—starting with funnyman Eddie Griffin basically doing standup and one-liners throughout. Angus MacFadyen (Saw III) brings some presence to the drowning film with his shell-shocked Martin Sheen/Apocalypse Now parody—strange drunken dances to boot. Veteran actor and man of a thousand bad parts Tim Matheson--who has managed to stay afloat with B movies since his glory days as Eric “Otter” Stratton in Animal House--actually seems to be having a little fun here. Sadly though the rest of the supporting cast is easily forgettable and at times comes off a little too much like the cast of a late night Cinemax skin-flick. Too bad Redline is PG-13. Redline is Andy Cheng’s (End Game) second time helming a feature film but he is no stranger to movie sets as his past credits include a myriad of stunt coordination work in films like Rush Hour and The Scorpion King. A lot of his early work was spent on Jackie Chan films which explains a lot about his directing style with Redline. Part of the charm of a Jackie Chan film is well Jackie Chan and all his amazing moves but take out Chan and leave the ridiculous cartoon characters and inane plots that surround his Hong Kong reels and you have Redline. Amidst the awkward one-liners and misplaced acrobatic fight scenes choreographed to unidentifiable hip-hop music some of the car races--as when a Porsche 911 takes on a $1.2 million Ferrari Enzo--are actually quite cool. This is where Cheng really shows his chops and he makes the most of his limited resources creating a really tacky however absolutely superbly bad-funny cult classic. Redline would have made an excellent double-feature back in 1975 alongside Death Race 2000 boasting: “See the world in the year 2007 where decadence rules and reckless millionaires live and die by fast cars and even faster women.”

The creepy puppet face the tape recorded instructions the underground tiled bathroom and the astounding twists throughout the story are all back in full force in this latest Saw story. The dying cancer patient/serial killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell)--a guy who is just trying to get people to appreciate life by putting them in deadly situations--was last seen handing off the baton to his new apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith). Yes the same girl he stuck in the jaw trap. And we find out what happened to Detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg). From there we see just how much Jigsaw is in need of medical attention. In order to assure his own health Jigsaw has Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) tend to him—while being connected to a device around her neck that will blow her head off if his heart stops. Nice touch. Meanwhile a father Jeff (Angus Macfadyen) is trying to deal with the loss of his son killed by a drunk driver. Jeff has to go through a series of tests which puts him face to face with the people responsible for his son's death in order to find forgiveness in the most gruesome ways. But don't get fooled by the poster of the hanging teeth--there is no teeth-pulling. Finally both Bell as the pasty-faced mastermind and Smith as his timid apprentice get a lot more play time showing they are accomplished and multi-dimensional actors. Bell lay on the floor most of the first Saw and was attached to an oxygen machine in the second one. This time he's in a hospital bed but his dead eyes and logical banter is as chilling as any Hannibal Lecter or Freddy Krueger. Bell displays his malevolence as if he's doing his victims a favor. Smith turns from a sniveling frightened child to a brave rogue apprentice almost Renfield-like in her approach to the role. She treats the victims more brutally than Jigsaw ever did. But this time around the victims are smart strong characters with Soomekh (Crash) and Macfadyen (TV's Alias) doing a fine job. Rather than a whole lot of screaming and pleading they face their predicaments with much more bravado. Maybe the filmmakers are getting a better quality of performer or Jigsaw is finding a better quality of victim--or both. Director Darren Lynn Bousman who took over the reigns from James Wan in the second Saw eases us right back into the third installment keeping all the reveals and the back stories hidden until he can slowly peel them away piece by piece like a fine onion. He also co-writes Saw III with writer Leigh Whannell. Some of the questions that crop up in the first two Saw movies are answered but even more questions are raised. And for the super-fan some of the bodies and sets from the previous movies are stumbled upon and revisited in this third movie. Saw III just continues the rollercoaster ride and also offers a lot more depth to the whole franchise’s philosophy. Where they go from here seems impossible to predict but no doubt the Saw-ing will continue.

The box office took its typical post-Thanksgiving weekend plunge. Die Another Day showed the best signs of life, regaining first place with a modest $13 million in ticket sales.
Analyze That opened without mobs of moviegoers, placing second with $11.3 million.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets tumbled from first to third place with $10 million.
Empire arrived to an encouraging $6.3 million.
Treasure Planet finished fifth with a lean $5.7 million.
The weekend's biggest success story was Columbia and Intermedia Films' platform release of Spike Jonze's unconventional comedy Adaptation. In its opening weekend at 7 theaters, Adaptation grossed a sizzling $400,000, averaging $57,143 per theater. (For details and comments by Columbia distribution president Rory Bruer please see OTHER OPENINGS below.)
Key films grossed $77.4 million, down nearly 6 percent from this weekend last year when they did $82.2 million.
THE TOP TEN
(NOTE: Today's percentage variations are calculated against grosses for the three day Friday-Sunday portion of the five day Thanksgiving holiday period.)
MGM and United Artists' PG-13 rated James Bond thriller Die Another Day recaptured first place from Harry Potter in its third week with an ESTIMATED $13.0 million (-58%) at 3,347 theaters (+23 theaters; $3,884 per theater). Its cume is approximately $120.4 million, heading for $165-175 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Lee Tamahori and produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, it stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry.
The last Bond film, The World Is Not Enough, opened Nov. 19-21, 1999 to $35.52 million and went on to gross $126.9 million in domestic theaters and $225.1 million in international theaters for a worldwide total of $352 million.
"It's amazing. Three weeks (in first place) in a row. We haven't had that in a very long time," MGM senior vice president, publicity Eric Kops said Sunday morning.
Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment's R rated comedy sequel Analyze That kicked off quietly in second place to an ESTIMATED $11.3 million at 2,635 theaters ($4,288 per theater).
Directed by Harold Ramis, it stars Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal and Lisa Kudrow.
Analyze's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in over 1,000 theaters this weekend.
The series' original film, Analyze This, opened to $18.4 million the weekend of Mar. 5-7, 1999 at 2,518 theaters ($7,301 per theater). It wound up grossing $106.7 million in domestic theaters.
"Our exits are good. People had a lot of laughs," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "The picture plays very well. It's a good audience pleaser. And we're hoping that we will be able to continue that and play well through the holidays."
Warner Bros.' PG rated sequel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets slid two pegs to third place in its fourth week with a calm ESTIMATED $10.02 million (-69%) at 3,387 theaters (-295 theaters; $2,958 per theater). Its cume is approximately $213.9 million.
Directed by Chris Columbus, it stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
"I think we're heading for $275 million (in domestic theaters)," Warner Bros.' Dan Fellman said.
Focusing on the big drops seen across the board this weekend versus last weekend, Fellman pointed out, "Last Friday night is the biggest day of the year (for moviegoing). People are off (starting) Wednesday afternoon. You have Thanksgiving on Thursday. Families are busy. Friday is like a Saturday because nobody works Thursday. Movies are a little soft on Thursday and them BOOM! That's the biggest day (of the holiday weekend). It's bigger than Saturday. So you have this huge gross on Friday. The following week you're coming in off of a work day on Friday."
Arenas Entertainment and Universal's R rated urban action film Empire arrived in fourth place to a solid ESTIMATED $6.27 million at 867 theaters ($7,235 per theater).
Written and directed by Franc Reyes, it stars John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard and Denise Richards.
"We're very excited because this is a film that we acquired for around $650,000," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "It's the first venture with our partners the Arenas Group. We acquired the film for them. This fantastic opening is indicative of how we targeted the release date without attempting to compete with the high profile films (in the marketplace).
"867 playdates is not the norm for an urban action film, but we were very selective in how we distributed the film. We didn't attempt to compete with the more mainstream fare this weekend and that's evidenced by the choice of the (release) date and the marketing campaign."
Arenas, Rocco explained, "chose Empire as its first release because it's a commercial genre film. They deserve the credit for recognizing the talent of Franc Reyes, who directed and wrote Empire. The Arenas partnership is one that we plan to cultivate for a long time to come. There are plans to release all different kinds of films, which we're very excited about, particularly because they're going to showcase Latino talent for a Latino audience. They've assisted us in marketing this film because they're experts in marketing to the Latino audience. This is a hugely successful launch and I think strategically the results are exceptional."
Rocco also applauded Leguizamo's efforts to promote Empire, noting that he "worked very hard on the film and supported the film tremendously. He literally did interviews (with) every radio, TV and print outlet in every major Hispanic market. I think the results speak for themselves."
Buena Vista/Disney's PG rated animated sci-fi adventure Treasure Planet dropped one orbit to fifth place in its second week with a slow ESTIMATED $5.7 million (-53%) at 3,227 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,754 per theater). Its cume is approximately $23.8 million.
Directed by John Musker &amp; Ron Clements, its screenplay is by Ron Clements &amp; John Musker.
Buena Vista/Disney's G rated comedy sequel Santa Clause 2 fell three rungs to sixth place in its sixth week, with a still funny ESTIMATED $5.4 million (-55%) at 2,356 theaters (-170 theaters; $2,296 per theater). Its cume is approximately $120.2 million, heading for $140 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Michael Lembeck, it stars Tim Allen.
Columbia's PG-13 rated animated musical Adam Sandler's 8 Crazy Nights dropped two slots to seventh place in its second week with a less funny ESTIMATED $5.2 million (-45%) at 2,503 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,078 per theater). Its cume is approximately $20.4 million.
Directed by Seth Kearsley, it was produced by Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo and Allen Covert.
New Line Cinema's R rated comedy sequel Friday After Next slid two slots to eighth place in its third week with a slow ESTIMATED $2.8 million (-62%) at 1,450 theaters (-171 theaters; $1,931 per theater). Its cume is approximately $29.1 million.
Directed by Marcus Raboy, it stars Ice Cube and Mike Epps.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's R rated drama 8 Mile fell one peg to ninth place in its fifth week with an okay ESTIMATED $2.61 million (-55%) at 2,015 theaters (-483 theaters; $1,295 per theater). Its cume is approximately $111.2 million, heading for $125 million.
Directed by Curtis Hanson and produced by Brian Grazer, it stars Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy and Mekhi Phifer.
Rounding out the Top Ten was DreamWorks' PG-13 rated horror thriller The Ring, down one rung in its eighth week with an uneventful ESTIMATED $2.5 million (-52%) at 1,642 theaters (-270 theaters; $1,537 per theater). Its cume is approximately $123.3 million, heading for $130 million.
Directed by Gore Verbinski, it stars Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson and Brian Cox.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Dimension Films' R rated sci-fi thriller Equilibrium to a soft ESTIMATED $0.53 million at 301 theaters ($1,754 per theater).
Written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, it stars Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs and Angus MacFadyen.
Columbia and Intermedia Films' R rated unconventional comedy Adaptation kicked off to a spectacular ESTIMATED $0.4 million at 7 theaters ($57,143 per theater) -- three in New York, three in Los Angeles and one in Toronto.
Directed by Spike Jonze, it stars Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper.
"It's terrific," Columbia distribution president Rory Bruer said Sunday morning. "The reviews are so good. We had near sell-out business everywhere. The Grove (multiplex in L.A.) was wild this weekend. Just jam-packed -- not a seat to be had. And they really seemed to like the picture a lot."
Looking ahead, Bruer said, "On Dec. 20 we'll broaden to some of the top cities, probably somewhere around 100 locations and then broaden some more on Jan. 10 to around 600 (theaters).
SNEAK PREVIEWS
Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures held about 875 well attended sneak previews Saturday of their PG-13 rated romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan.
Directed by Wayne Wang, Maid stars Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes.
"We had these great sneaks," Columbia's Rory Bruer said. "We had 875 theaters, so it was about double of what we had last week (for Friday's sneaks). They were 95 percent full. Many were sold out. It just seems to be such a terrific romantic comedy for the season. It feels really good. It opens Friday (Dec. 13) at around 2,600 theaters."
Touchstone Pictures held sneak previews Friday night of its PG-13 rated comedy The Hot Chick. No details were available from Disney Sunday morning.
Directed by Tom Brady, it stars Rob Schneider.
Chick opens wide this Friday (Dec. 13).
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend Samuel Goldwyn Films' R rated drama El Crimen del Padre Amaro went wider in is fourth week to a still hopeful ESTIMATED $0.4 million at 122 theaters (+14 theaters; $3,230 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.1 million.
Directed by Carlos Carrera, it stars Gael Garcia Bernal and is the official Mexican entry in this year's best foreign language film Oscar race.
Miramax's R rated drama Ararat widened in its fourth week with a dull ESTIMATED $0.14 million at 42 theaters (+9 theaters; $3,405 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.2 million.
Written and directed by Atom Egoyan, it stars David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver and Marie-Josee Croze.
United Artists' R rated drama Personal Velocity, released via MGM, added theaters in its third week with a still encouraging ESTIMATED $92,000 at 20 theaters (+15 theaters; $4,595 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.2 million.
Directed by Rebecca Miller, it stars Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey and Fairuza Balk. Velocity won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $77.4 million this weekend, down about 5.83 percent from last year when they totaled $82.19 million.
Comparisons to last weekend of this year are not valid because last weekend was a holiday weekend.
Last year, Warner Bros.' opening week of Ocean's Eleven was first with $38.11 million at 3,075 theaters ($12,393 per theater); and Warner Bros.' fourth week of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was second with $14.74 million at 3,672 theaters ($4,014 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $52.8 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $24.3 million.

Sony Pictures Entertainment set off a dazzling box office fireworks display that made this July Fourth weekend Hollywood's biggest ever.
Sony's three Columbia Pictures releases grossed $119.5 million for the five day holiday period -- about 51 percent of the key films five day total of about $235 million.
Men in Black II opened to a chart topping $54.1 million and a five day cume of $90 million. Mr. Deeds was a rich number two with $18.8 million and $26.3 million for five days. On top of that, it was a milestone weekend for Spider-Man, whose $3.2 million for five days brought its cume to $400.1 million.
20th Century Fox launched its own July Fourth sparkler Like Mike in third place with $13.1 million and $20.1 million for five days. Disney's Lilo &amp; Stitch was a colorful fourth with $12.7 million. Fox and DreamWorks' Minority Report finished fifth with $12.4 million.
The weekend's other wide opening, Warner Bros.' The Powerpuff Girls Movie, fizzled in ninth place with $3.6 million and $6.1 million for five days.
Ticket sales were up over 19 percent from last year's July Fourth weekend. Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more -- took in $151.2 million versus last year's $126.8 million.
THE TOP TEN
Columbia's PG-13 rated blockbuster sequel Men In Black II arrived in first place to an out of this world ESTIMATED $54.1 million at 3,557 theaters ($15,209 per theater). Its cume after five days is approximately $90.0 million.
MIB II's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, it stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.
The original Men In Black's first weekend in theaters was July 4-6, 1997 with $51.07 million at 3,020 theaters ($16,910 per theater). With July Fourth falling on a Friday that year, the film's opening gave it a six day cume of $84.1 million. It went on to gross $250.1 million in domestic theaters.
"That's the biggest Friday-Saturday-Sunday July Fourth opening ever," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning, "beating MIB I at $51.1 million. And it's the biggest five days ever (for July Fourth) if you back out the Tuesday (preview) shows for ID4, which did $85.0 million July 3-7, 1996. But they had $11 million in Tuesday shows (giving the film $96 million for six days)."
Looking at other records set by MIB II, Blake said, "It's Will Smith's biggest opening ever. He now owns the July Fourth Triple Crown. MIB I was his biggest and Independence Day before that had done $50.2 million for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday (three-day portion of its 1996 July Fourth weekend). So he truly owns July Fourth -- one, two and three.
"Men In Black II is Sony's fifth number one opening of the year, joining Black Hawk Down, Panic Room, Spider-Man and Mr. Deeds. It brings our market share for the year to $965 million (from) Jan. 1 through July 7. We will hit $1 billion before next weekend. That's the fastest anyone has ever hit $1 billion. In our record year of 1997, which is the record that still stands at $1.27 billion, we hit $1 billion on Labor Day weekend. We'll have our $1 billion in our pocket (shortly) and we'll certainly have the balance of Men In Black II and the balance of Mr. Deeds. And we'll have (still ahead) for the year pictures like Stuart Little 2 on July 19, XXX on Aug. 9, I Spy on Nov. 1, Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights at Thanksgiving and Jennifer Lopez's Chambermaid at Christmas. So we feel very excited about what that could add up to. It's hard to tell, but we certainly plan to break our own record and hope to break our own record. We're running a full two months ahead of our pace in '97."
Looking ahead to where MIB II is going in domestic theaters, Blake said, "It's a little too soon to say, but we will go into our second weekend most likely with about $120 million or so of business. So that's a pretty good place to be going into your second weekend."
Sony's next release is Stuart Little 2 on July 19. The first Stuart Little opened to $15 million the weekend of Dec. 17-19, 1999 and went on to gross $140 million in domestic theaters.
Columbia and New Line's PG-13 rated comedy Mr. Deeds fell one peg to second place in its second week with a still rich ESTIMATED $18.8 million (-49%) at 3,231 theaters (theater count unchanged; $5,819 per theater). For the five day holiday period it grossed an ESTIMATED $26.3 million. Its cume is approximately $74.0 million.
Directed by Steven Brill, it stars Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder.
"We have the biggest one-two punch in history with MIB II and Mr. Deeds," Sony's Jeff Blake noted. Together the two films did about $116.3 million over the five day holiday period.
"The previous biggest one-two punch that any studio had was last year (when Warner Bros.') Ocean's Eleven opened to $38.1 million Dec. 7-9 and Harry Potter's fourth week was $14.7 million (giving them a combined total of $52.8 million)."
On top of all that good news, Blake added, "We have a little picture called Spider-Man, which hit $400 million. The Friday-Saturday-Sunday is $2.2 million, down 15 percent. We're in 1,502 screens (with an average of) $1,465. And we're at $400.1 million. The five day (total for) Spider-Man was $3.2 million. There's probably about $5 million or so left (to be grossed), I would imagine, (which should bring it to) $405-410 million. It's only the third film to hit $400 million in its release, joining Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace and Titanic. Star Wars and E.T. got there with multiple releases."
All told, Blake said, "These three pictures add up to $75.1 million for Friday-Saturday-Sunday and $119.5 million for five days. So I think by any calculation that's over 50 percent of the market."
As for the overall July Fourth marketplace, he observed, "It looks like a record to me. It looks like about $150 million Friday-Saturday-Sunday and about $235 million five day period (and) that's a record by a good amount."
Asked where Mr. Deeds is heading in domestic theaters, Blake replied, "We're feeling good at about $125-130 million. That puts Adam Sandler right back where we want him."
20th Century Fox's opening of its PG rated urban appeal basketball comedy Like Mike was celebrating in third place with an ESTIMATED $13.05 million at 2,410 theaters ($5,415 per theater). Its cume after five days is approximately $20.1 million.
Directed by John Schultz, it stars Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki, Robert Forster, Crispin Glover and Eugene Levy.
"Like Mike is a very, very nice launching," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning. "We were especially strong in African-American theaters. It (played best in) urban and suburban major cities. That's where the real strength was. It played exceptionally well. People loved the movie. I don't have (exit poll) scores yet."
Buena Vista/Disney's PG rated animated family appeal feature Lilo &amp; Stitch held up well in its third week, sliding one rung to fourth place with an ESTIMATED $12.7 million (-41%) at 3,222 theaters (theater count unchanged; $3,949 per theater). Its cume is approximately $103.1 million.
Written and directed by Chris Sanders, it was produced by Clark Spencer. Its original score is by Alan Silvestri.
20th Century Fox and DreamWorks' PG-13 rated sci-fi fantasy thriller Minority Report slid three notches to fifth place in its third week with a calmer ESTIMATED $12.4 million (-43%) at 2,729 theaters (-272 theaters; $4,544 per theater). Its cume is approximately $96.8 million.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, it stars Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton.
"We should hit $100 million probably by Tuesday," Fox's Bruce Snyder said, adding that Minority should get to "about $135-140 million" in domestic theaters."
In addition, Snyder noted, Fox and Lucasfilm's blockbuster Star Wars: Episode II "now looks like it will get to $300 million. In its eighth weekend the three day at 1,162 theaters (it did) $2.5 million and a five day of $3.6 million. The cume is now $291.2 million. (It should hit $300 million in) probably two weeks."
Universal's PG-13 espionage thriller The Bourne Identity dropped one notch to sixth place in its fourth week, holding nicely with an ESTIMATED $9.11 million (-19%)) at 2,513 theaters (-150 theaters; $3,625 per theater). Its cume is approximately $89.1 million, heading for $100 million.
For the second consecutive weekend, Bourne had the lowest percentage drop of any film in the Top Ten.
Warner Bros.' PG rated family comedy Scooby-Doo fell three slots to seventh place in its fourth week with a sleepy ESTIMATED $7.03 million (-43%) at 3,257 theaters (-190 theaters; $2,157 per theater). Its cume is approximately $137.5 million, heading for $155 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Rowan Atkinson.
Paramount's PG-13 rated thriller The Sum Of All Fears slipped one peg to eighth place in its sixth week, holding well with an ESTIMATED $3.75 million (-23%) at 1,592 theaters (-894 theaters; $2,356 per theater). Its cume is approximately $112.0 million, heading for $120-125 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson and produced by Mace Neufeld, it stars Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.
Focusing on the strong July Fourth marketplace, Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning, "There's a wide diversity of product out there with broad appeal -- from young to old. I think the strength of The Bourne Identity and Sum Of All Fears shows the adult audience is going, as well (as the under-25s)."
Warner Bros.' PG rated animated feature The Powerpuff Girls Movie opened quietly in ninth place to an ESTIMATED $3.56 million at 2,340 theaters ($1,521 per theater). Its cume after five days is approximately $6.1 million.
The film is based on the popular Cartoon Network animated series.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films' PG-13 rated drama Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, down two notches in its fifth week, holding decently with an ESTIMATED $2.85 million (-30%) at 1,792 theaters (-375 theaters; $1,590 per theater). Its cume is approximately $61.0 million, heading for $69-70 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Callie Khouri, it stars Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan, James Garner, Ashley Judd, Shirley Knight, Angus MacFadyen and Maggie Smith.
LOOKING BACK AT JULY FOURTH WEEKEND
Looking back at July Fourth weekend since 1990, it's clear that the holiday period's boxoffice fireworks have become increasingly dazzling.
In 2001, when July Fourth was on a Wednesday, 17 key films grossed $126.8 million. Warner Bros.' Cats &amp; Dogs opened in first place ($21.7 million and a five day cume of $35.8 million). Right behind it were Dimension's opening of Scary Movie 2 ($20.5 million and a five day cume of $34.0 million), Warners and DreamWorks' A.I. Artificial Intelligence ($14.0 million), 20th Century Fox's Kiss Of The Dragon ($13.3 million) and Universal's The Fast and the Furious ($12.3 million).
July Fourth was on a Tuesday in 2000 when 16 key films grossed $128.6 million. Warner Bros.' The Perfect Storm opening was number one ($42.3 million). It was followed by Columbia's The Patriot ($22.4 million), Fox's Me, Myself &amp; Irene ($13.3 million), DreamWorks' Chicken Run ($13.2 million) and Universal's The Adventures Of Rocky and Bullwinkle ($6.8 million).
In 1999, when July Fourth was on a Sunday, 18 key films grossed $160.4 million for the four day weekend. Warner Bros.' Wild Wild West opening was number one ($36.4 million and a six day cume of $49.7 million). On its heels were Columbia's Big Daddy ($26.8 million), Buena Vista's Tarzan ($19.3 million), Paramount's South Park: Bigger, Longer &amp; Uncut ($14.8 million) and Paramount's The General's Daughter ($14.2 million).
In 1998, when July Fourth was on a Saturday, 17 key films grossed $103.7 million. Buena Vista's Armageddon opening was number one ($36.1 million and a five day cume of $54.2 million). On its heels were Fox's Dr. Dolittle ($19.7 million), Buena Vista's Mulan ($11.5 million), Universal's Out of Sight ($6.6 million) and Fox's The X-Files ($6.3 million).
In 1997 July Fourth was on a Friday. There were 14 key films with a combined gross of $116.8 million. Sony's Men In Black opening topped the chart with $51.1 million and a six day cume of $84.1 million. It was followed by Paramount's Face/Off ($16.1 million), Buena Vista's Hercules ($12.2 million), Sony's My Best Friend's Wedding ($10.8 million) and Warners' Batman &amp; Robin ($8.0 million).
July Fourth fell on a Thursday in 1996. A dozen key films took in $121.0 million for the three day weekend. Fox's Independence Day opening dominated with $50.2 million and a six day cume of $96.1 million. On its heels were Universal's The Nutty Professor ($17.5 million), Buena Vista's opening of Phenomenon ($16.2 million and a five day cume of $24.5 million), Buena Vista's The Hunchback of Notre Dame ($8.9 million) and Warners' Eraser ($8.8 million).
In 1995 July Fourth was on a Tuesday. There were 14 key films with a combined gross of $102.8 million. Universal's Apollo 13 launch topped the chart with $25.4 million, followed by Buena Vista's Pocahontas ($16 million), Warners' Batman Forever ($15.3 million), Fox's opening of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ($13.1 million) and Buena Vista's opening of Judge Dredd ($12.3 million).
1994 saw July Fourth fall on a Monday. There were 19 key films with a combined gross of $110.1 million for the four day weekend. Buena Vista's The Lion King placed first with $34.2 million, followed by Universal's opening of The Shadow ($11.7 million), Fox's Speed ($11.2 million), MGM's Blown Away opening ($10.4 million) and Buena Vista's I Love Trouble launch ($7.8 million for four days and a six day cume of $10 million).
In 1993 July Fourth was on a Sunday. Seventeen key films took in a total of $124.3 million for four days. Paramount's opening of The Firm was number one with $32.5 million and a six day cume of $45.6 million. It was followed by Universal's Jurassic Park ($25.3 million), Sony's Sleepless in Seattle ($16.1 million), Warners' Dennis the Menace ($10.1 million) and Buena Vista's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ($9 million).
1992's July Fourth fell on a Saturday. Fourteen key films combined to gross $72.7 million. Warners' Batman Returns topped the chart with $13.8 million, followed by Sony's opening of A League of Their Own ($13.7 million and a five day cume of $19.1 million), Paramount's Boomerang launch ($13.6 million and a five day cume of $19.6 million), Buena Vista's Sister Act ($6.8 million) and Fox's Unlawful Entry ($6.5 million).
July Fourth was on a Thursday in 1991. There were 14 key films whose total gross was $88 million. TriStar's Terminator 2: Judgment Day opened in first place with $31.8 million and a six day cume of $52.3 million. It was followed by Paramount's The Naked Gun 2 ½ ($11.6 million), Warners' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves ($10.3 million), Columbia's City Slickers ($8.2 million) and Universal's Problem Child opening ($5.4 million and a five day cume of $7.6 million).
In 1990 July Fourth fell on a Wednesday. Fourteen key films grossed a total of $66 million with Paramount's Days of Thunder opening in first place ($15.5 million and a five day cume of $21.5 million). Also in the top five were Buena Vista's Dick Tracy ($10.1 million), Orion's Robocop 2 ($6.4 million), TriStar's Total Recall ($6 million) and Paramount's Another 48 Hours ($5.4 million).
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Fireworks Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films' R rated romantic drama Me Without You to a hopeful ESTIMATED $39,000 at 3 theaters ($12,975 per theater).
Directed by Sandra Goldbacher, it stars Michelle Williams and Anna Friel.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend Gold Circle Films and HBO's PG rated romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding added more theaters via IFC Films in its 12th week with a still attractive ESTIMATED $2.5 million (+25%) at 499 theaters (+6 theaters; $5,055 per theater). Its cume is approximately $23.6 million.
Directed by Joel Zwick, it stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett.
Miramax's PG rated comedy The Importance Of Being Earnest added theaters in its seventh week with an unexciting ESTIMATED $0.5 million (+7%) at 216 theaters (+8 theaters; $2,315 per theater). Its cume is approximately $5.9 million.
Directed by Oliver Parker, it stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
United Artists' R rated satiric comedy Pumpkin went wider in its second week via MGM Distribution with a soft ESTIMATED $54,000 at 19 theaters (+11 theaters; $2,832 per theater). Its cume is approximately $109,000.
Directed by Adam Larson Broder and Tony R. Abrams, it stars Christina Ricci, Hank Harris and Brenda Blethyn.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $151.2 million, up 19.29 percent from last year when they totaled $126.75 million.
Key films were up about 9.29 percent from the previous weekend of this year when they grossed $138.35 million.
Last year, Warner Bros.' opening week of Cats &amp; Dogs was first with $21.71 million at 3,040 theaters ($7,141 per theater); and Dimension's opening week of Scary Movie 2 was second with $20.5 million at 3,220 theaters ($6,368 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $42.2 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $72.9 million.

Hollywood delivered a one-two box office punch this weekend with big openings targeted to adult and family audiences.
Minority Report reported the majority of moviegoer votes, claiming first place with $36.9 million. Lilo &amp; Stitch, which out-grossed Minority on Friday, wound up second with livelier than expected ticket sales of $35.8 million.
Insiders had projected only an $18-20 million launch for Lilo. Minority fell into the $30-40 million range that Hollywood handicappers had anticipated, although some had gone out on a limb speculating about a $50 million kickoff.
With stiff competition on two key demographic fronts, all three Top Five holdovers suffered big drops. Scooby-Doo slid 55 percent to third place with $24.4 million. The Bourne Identity fell 46 percent to fourth place with $14.8 million. The Sum Of All Fears skidded 41 percent to fifth place with $7.9 million.
Driven mostly by Minority and Lilo, ticket sales were up nearly 16 percent from this weekend last year. Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more -- took in $159.4 million versus last year's $137.7 million.
THE TOP TEN
20th Century Fox's opening of its and DreamWorks' PG-13 rated sci-fi fantasy thriller Minority Report took first place with a hot ESTIMATED $36.9 million at 3,001 theaters ($12,296 per theater).
Directed by Steven Spielberg, it stars Tom Cruise.
Minority's average per theater was the highest for any film playing this weekend.
"We had terrific results in big cities, urban and suburban (and in) sophisticated (markets)," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning. "The audience breakdown was 52 percent male, 64 percent 25 and over. (It had) great scores all around, especially from the younger folks even though they weren't there in the bigger numbers. But they actually had the better scores. So that bodes well for the future."
Focusing on the weekend day by day, Snyder noted, "We had a decent bump from Friday to Saturday. It seemed to be a little bit soft in the bump there for all movies. But we were up 13 percent. I've got $11.9 million for Friday and $13.4 million for Saturday -- 13 percent up. And 13 percent down (estimated) for Sunday to $11.6 million."
Minority's reviews, Snyder said, "were spectacular. There's always some negatives in there, but overall across the country it was a really wonderfully reviewed movie."
In Friday's grosses Lilo out performed Minority. "I've got them at $12.5 million on Friday and we were $11.9 million, so they were (ahead)," he said, pointing to the animated hit's strong matinee showings that day. "Lilo &amp; Stitch's average was $4,000 for the matinees on Friday. Our average was $2,325. When they ended up having the same basic average when day was done, what it tells you is that they had the possibility to crank all day long with a much shorter movie. We have a two hour and 22 minute movie and ended up with one main show at night."
Is Minority's length a drag on its grossing potential? "It's a slight one," Snyder replied, "especially with a movie that kind of plays adult. Eventually we will get more and more teens, but (right now) we're not getting those 15 year olds that will be in there at 11 o'clock. So you really get that one main show. And it's a long show, so your eight o'clock show is your main show and that's what you've really got to work off of.
"Saturday you can get two shows, but Friday's a one show (day). I think that's how the grosses end up as they are. They cranked all day long, had a short movie and probably had five great matinees and we were working off really one main show at night."
Buena Vista/Disney's PG rated animated family appeal feature Lilo &amp; Stitch arrived to much better numbers than expected, placing second with a colorful ESTIMATED $35.8 million at 3,191 theaters ($11,218 per theater).
Written and directed by Chris Sanders, it was produced by Clark Spencer. Its original score is by Alan Silvestri.
"We are thrilled," Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "We never anticipated coming in in first place (but) I truly believe that's where we're at. In our hearts, we truly believe we're number one. We will speak as though we're number one."
Whatever Lilo's ranking for the weekend, Viane said, "The amazement here is that this is the second best opening in June on an animated film we've ever had -- second only to The Lion King (which opened to $40.9 million the weekend of June 24-26, 1994)."
Focusing on Lilo's terrific numbers, Viane said Disney is, "a very happy place. It's great. It's amazing how this one apparently didn't show up on some people's radars. But obviously the public was out there in masses. I was over at the Promenade (multiplex in L.A.) yesterday and I cannot tell you how many kids walked into the theater with those little Stitch cuddly dolls. It'll be an eminently successful film. I think the directors and the animators and everybody (who worked on the picture) did a magnificent job."
Warner Bros.' PG rated family comedy Scooby-Doo stumbled two steps to third place in its second week with a still sizable ESTIMATED $24.36 million (-55%) at 3,447 theaters (theater count unchanged; $7,067 per theater). Its cume is approximately $101.2 million.
Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Rowan Atkinson.
"It's the first hundred million dollar movie of the year for us," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "$101.195 million in 10 days. We're very thrilled about it. We've announced a sequel (for 2004). We're going to build a franchise on Mr. Doo. Audiences still love this movie. I'm very pleased with that hold considering the $35.8 million that Disney (grossed with Lilo)."
Universal's PG-13 espionage thriller The Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon slid two pegs to fourth place in its second week -- holding respectably given Minority's strong opening -- with an ESTIMATED $14.76 million (-46%)) at 2,643 theaters (+5 theaters; $5,585 per theater). Its cume is approximately $54.1 million, heading for $85 million.
Paramount's PG-13 rated thriller The Sum Of All Fears dipped one notch to fifth place in its fourth week, holding its own in the face of strong competition from Minority with an ESTIMATED $7.9 million (-41%) at 3,039 theaters (-191 theaters; $2,601 per theater). Its cume is approximately $97.4 million, heading for $120 million or more in domestic theaters.
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson and produced by Mace Neufeld, it stars Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.
"I think the biggest (film based on a Tom Clancy book) was $122 million. Whether or not it surpasses that is a question mark at this point," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning, noting that Fears was impacted by both Minority and Bourne. "We're very happy with the hold. Obviously, we would have liked to have held better than the 41 percent, but given the level of the competition it's a good hold."
MGM's R rated World War II drama Windtalkers retreated three trenches to sixth place in its second week with a wounded ESTIMATED $6.7 million (-54%) at 2,898 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,312 per theatre). Its cume is approximately $26.7 million.
Directed by John Woo, it stars Nicolas Cage.
Morgan Creek's MPG-13 rated urban appeal basketball theme comedy Juwanna Mann opened in seventh place via Warner Bros. to an unexciting ESTIMATED $6.0 million at 1,325 theaters ($4,528 per theater).
Directed by Jesse Vaughan, it stars Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans, Ginuwine and Lil' Kim.
"The picture played (best) predominantly in the urban ethnic markets and did little to cross over (into mainstream situations)," Warners' Dan Fellman said.
Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films' PG-13 rated drama Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood fell two slots in its third week to eighth place with a less divine ESTIMATED $5.69 million (-36%) at 2,310 theaters (-197 theaters; $2,461 per theater). Its cume is approximately $46.4 million.
Directed by Callie Khouri, it stars Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan, James Garner, Ashley Judd, Shirley Knight, Angus Macfadyen and Maggie Smith.
"It had the best hold of any of the wide releases, only down 36 percent," Warners' Dan Fellman said. "And with the strong mid-weeks that this picture's getting we'll be past $50 million by the end of the week (and) heading into the $60 millions."
20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's PG rated franchise installment Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones dropped three rungs to ninth place in its sixth week with a slower ESTIMATED $5.1 million (-46%) at 2,107 theaters (-294 theaters; $2,421 per theater). Its cume is approximately $279.8 million, heading for $300 million in domestic theaters.
Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace took in $431.1 million in domestic theaters. Its worldwide total (domestic plus international) was $923 million.
Directed by George Lucas, it stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Columbia's PG-13 sci-fi fantasy blockbuster Spider-Man, down three pegs in its eighth week with a less energetic ESTIMATED $4.4 million (-41%) at 2,278 theaters (-424 theaters; $1,932 per theater). Its cume is approximately $390.2 million heading for $400 million-plus in domestic theaters.
Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Sony Pictures Classics' PG-13 drama Sunshine State to a sunny ESTIMATED $92,000 at 10 theaters ($9,202 per theater).
Written, directed and edited by John Sayles, it stars Jane Alexander, Angela Bassett, Gordon Clapp, Edie Falco, Miguel Ferrer, Timothy Hutton, James McDaniel and Mary Steenburgen.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend IFC Films' PG rated romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding added a few more theaters in its 10th week with a still impressive ESTIMATED $1.7 million (-1%) at 459 theaters (+4 theaters; $3,785 per theater). Its cume is approximately $16.3 million.
Directed by Joel Zwick, it stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett.
Miramax's PG rated comedy The Importance Of Being Earnest expanded in its fifth week to an uninteresting ESTIMATED $0.5 million (-18%) at 201 theaters (+21 theaters; $2,487 per theater). Its cume is approximately $4.2 million.
Directed by Oliver Parker, it stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
Think Film's R rated dark comedy The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys went wider in its second week with an uneventful ESTIMATED $0.2 million at 76 theaters (+67 theaters; $2,510 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.3 million.
Directed by Peter Care, it stars Kieran Culkin.
Miramax's R rated classic drama Cinema Paradiso: The New Version added theaters quietly in its second week with an ESTIMATED $28,000 at 7 theaters (+4 theaters; $4,000 per theater). Its cume is approximately $67,000.
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, it stars Philippe Noiret.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $159.42 million, up 15.74 percent from last year when they totaled $137.74 million.
Key films were down about 1.00 percent from the previous weekend of this year when they grossed $161.01 million.
Last year, Universal's opening week of The Fast and the Furious was first with $40.09 million at 2,628 theaters ($15,255 per theater); and 20th Century Fox's opening week of Dr. Dolittle 2 was second with $25.04 million at 3,049 theaters ($8,212 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $65.1 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $72.7 million.

Mr. Deeds really went to town this weekend, inheriting $37.6 million at the box office.
Lilo &amp; Stitch held on in second place with an animated $22.2 million. Minority Report slipped to third with $21.6 million.
While Minority beat Lilo by $417,000 last weekend, after a full week in theaters Lilo was leading by about $2 million in cumulative gross. Now after 10 days, Lilo is $4.3 million ahead of Minority.
Scooby-Doo took fourth place with $12.2 million, bringing its cume to nearly $124 million. The Bourne Identity was fifth with $10.8 million.
The weekend's other wide opening, Hey Arnold! The Movie, had nothing to shout about in sixth place with $6 million.
Ticket sales were up nearly 13 percent from this weekend last year. Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more -- took in $138.1 million versus last year's $122.6 million.
THE TOP TEN
Columbia and New Line's PG-13 rated comedy Mr. Deeds kicked off in first place, laughing all the way to the bank with an ESTIMATED $37.6 million at 3,231 theaters ($11,637 per theater).
Directed by Steven Brill, it stars Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder. It was produced by Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo and executive produced by Sandler and Joseph M. Caracciolo.
Mr. Deeds' average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"We're delighted," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning.
"This is the kind of high powered opening that Adam is known for, particularly in the summer. It's very close to what The Waterboy (the weekend of Nov. 6-8, 1998 opened to) $39.4 million. It went on to do $161 million (in domestic theaters). And it's not that far from Big Daddy, which (the weekend of June 25-27, 1999 opened to) $41.5 million and went on to do $163.5 million."
In addition to those comparisons, another interesting comparison that can be made from the record books is to Sandler's last film, New Line's Little Nicky. After opening to a quiet $16.1 million the weekend of Nov. 10-12, 2000, it wound up with a domestic theatrical cume of just $39.4 million -- not much more than Deeds took in for its first weekend. With Columbia's Deeds opening Sandler is clearly back on the box office fast track.
"Adam is really a franchise in and of himself," Blake said, noting that Deeds' production cost was a relatively modest -- at least by big summer movie standards -- $55 million.
"Obviously, that's a number you can feel really good about," Blake added. "What we feel even better about is that we've got his next three movies. His animated film, Adam Sandler's 8 Crazy Nights, which opens at Thanksgiving, had a teaser trailer attached to Mr. Deeds. Punch-Drunk Love, which is the Revolution film that got such good notices at Cannes, will be a year-end release. And next June for another big summer release there's Revolution's film Anger Management with Jack Nicholson (starring with Sandler). So not only is (Adam Sandler) a great business to be in, we're in it pretty heavily."
Reflecting on Sony's sizzling hot summer at the box office, Blake also pointed out that Spider-Man, which in its ninth week has just dropped out of the Top Ten, is now at about $395.7 million and on its way to "somewhere between $400-410 million" in domestic theaters.
Hollywood handicappers are talking about Spider-Man as a likely bet to be the year's biggest grossing film. "I don't think there's going to be any question (of that)," Blake observed. "With all due respect, as good as the rest of the market is, I don't see any $400 million (films out there)."
Sony's summer success should get its next major shot in the arm from Columbia's launch this Wednesday (July 3) of Men In Black II at about 3,300 theaters and 6,000 or more screens. The film's 88 minute running time (including about seven minutes of end credits) will enable theaters to run it five or six times a day, greatly enhancing its grossing potential.
The original Men In Black's first weekend in theaters was July 4-6, 1997 with $51.07 million at 3,020 theaters ($16,910 per theater). With July Fourth falling on a Friday that year, the film's opening gave it a six day cume of $84.1 million. It went on to gross $250.1 million in domestic theaters.
"We're certainly opening on very close to 6,000 screens -- probably over 6,000 by Monday," Blake said. "Well, 6,000 screens times five or six shows a day, that's pretty good! You've got to figure you've got (at least) 30,000 shows a day no matter how you place it. I think it's going to be fun. It should be a good weekend for us."
Beyond Men In Black II, Sony has another high profile sequel on deck in Stuart Little 2, opening July 19. The first Stuart Little opened to $15 million the weekend of Dec. 17-19, 1999 and went on to gross $140 million in domestic theaters.
Buena Vista/Disney's PG rated animated family appeal feature Lilo &amp; Stitch showed strong legs in its second week, holding on to second place with an ESTIMATED $22.2 million (-37%) at 3,222 theaters (+31 theaters; $6,899 per theater). Its cume is approximately $77.8 million.
Written and directed by Chris Sanders, it was produced by Clark Spencer. Its original score is by Alan Silvestri.
20th Century Fox and DreamWorks' PG-13 rated sci-fi fantasy thriller Minority Report tumbled two rungs in its second week to third place with a less thrilling ESTIMATED $21.63 million (-39%) at 3,001 theaters (theater count unchanged; $7,208 per theater). Its cume is approximately $73.5 million.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, it stars Tom Cruise.
WARNER Bros.' PG rated family comedy Scooby-Doo slid one peg to fourth place in its third week with a calmer ESTIMATED $12.22 million (-50%) at 3,447 theaters (theater count unchanged; $3,545 per theater). Its cume is approximately $123.8 million.
Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Rowan Atkinson.
Universal's PG-13 espionage thriller The Bourne Identity fell one rung to fifth place in its third week with an okay ESTIMATED $10.81 million (-28%)) at 2,663 theaters (+20 theaters; $4,060 per theater). Its cume is approximately $72.5 million, heading for $85 million.
Bourne had the lowest percentage drop of any film in the Top Ten this weekend.
Paramount and Nickelodeon's PG rated animated feature Hey Arnold! The Movie arrived in sixth place to a dull ESTIMATED $6.0 million at 2,527 theaters ($2,374 per theater).
Directed by Tuck Tucker, the film is based on the hit Nickelodeon cartoon series. With the movie having reportedly cost only about $4 million to make, neither Paramount nor Nickelodeon should be hurt by its not-so-lively launch.
"We're a little disappointed," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "It's below our expectations, but we didn't have a great deal invested in the film either. It's not like we're going to be hurt financially, but certainly we were expecting a great deal more and had anticipated making a lot of money versus sort of getting out of it even."
Paramount's PG-13 rated thriller The Sum Of All Fears dropped two slots to seventh place in its fifth week with an uneventful ESTIMATED $4.83 million (-38%) at 2,486 theaters (-551 theaters; $1,941 per theater). Its cume is approximately $105.3 million, heading for $120-125 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson and produced by Mace Neufeld, it stars Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.
Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films' PG-13 rated drama Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood slid one rung in its fourth week to eighth place with an unexciting ESTIMATED $4.01 million (-33%) at 2,187 theaters (-143 theaters; $1,851 per theater). Its cume is approximately $55.3 million.
Directed by Callie Khouri, it stars Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan, James Garner, Ashley Judd, Shirley Knight, Angus MacFadyen and Maggie Smith.
MGM's R rated World War II drama Windtalkers plunged three spots to ninth place in its third week with a slow ESTIMATED $3.6 million (-45%) at 2,529 theaters (-369 theaters; $1,473 per theatre). Its cume is approximately $33.3 million.
Directed by John Woo, it stars Nicolas Cage.
Rounding out the Top Ten (but virtually tied for ninth place) was 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's PG rated franchise installment Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, down one orbit in its seventh week with a quiet ESTIMATED $3.56 million (-31%) at 1,801 theaters (-306 theaters; $1,977 per theater). Its cume is approximately $286.1 million, heading for $300 million in domestic theaters.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace took in $431.1 million in domestic theaters. Its worldwide total (domestic plus international) was $923 million.
Directed by George Lucas, it stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Lions Gate Films' R rated comedy Lovely &amp; Amazing to a hopeful ESTIMATED $96,000 at 8 theaters in New York and Los Angeles ($12,000 per theater).
Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, it stars Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethyn and Emily Mortimer.
"We expand July 19 to about 125 screens for the next wave," Lions Gate president Tom Ortenberg said Sunday morning.
United Artists' R rated satiric comedy Pumpkin opened via MGM Distribution to a not very funny ESTIMATED $30,000 at 8 theaters ($3,776 per theater).
Directed by Adam Larson Broder and Tony R. Abrams, it stars Christina Ricci, Hank Harris and Brenda Blethyn.
20th Century Fox's PG-13 rated comedy The First $20 Million Is Always The Hardest kicked off poorly, finding that for it the first $20,000 is the hardest. The film took in only an ESTIMATED $2,354 at 2 theaters in Los Angeles ($1,177 per theater).
Directed by Mick Jackson, it stars Adam Garcia, Rosario Dawson, Jake Busey and Enrico Colantoni.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend Gold Circle Films and HBO's PG rated romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding widened again via IFC Films in its 11th week with a still sexy ESTIMATED $1.9 million (+9%) at 493 theaters (+49 theaters; $3,930 per theater). Its cume is approximately $19.3 million.
Directed by Joel Zwick, it stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett.
Miramax's PG rated comedy The Importance Of Being Earnest added theaters in its sixth week with an unimportant ESTIMATED $0.46 million (-14%) at 208 theaters (+7 theaters; $2,187 per theater). Its cume is approximately $4.9 million.
Directed by Oliver Parker, it stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
Think Film's R rated dark comedy The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys went wider in its third week with an unexceptional ESTIMATED $0.2 million at 125 theaters (+49 theaters; $1,810 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.6 million.
Directed by Peter Care, it stars Kieran Culkin.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $138.12 million, up 12.63 percent from last year when they totaled $122.65 million.
Key films were down about 12.43 percent from the previous weekend of this year when they grossed $157.73 million.
Last year, Warner Bros.' opening week of A.I. Artificial Intelligence was first with $29.35 million at 3,242 theaters ($9,054 per theater); and Universal's second week of The Fast and the Furious was second with $20.05 million at 2,723 theaters ($7,365 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $49.5 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $59.8 million.

Moviegoers went Zoinks! over Scooby-Doo, launching it to $56.4 million, the biggest June opening ever. Warners plans to continue the franchise with a Scooby sequel in 2004.
The Bourne Identity kicked off strongly in second place to a better than expected $27.5 million. Windtalkers invaded third place, digging in with favorable exit polls and a hopeful $14.5 million.
Also driving the weekend were The Sum of All Fears in fourth place with $13.5 million and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in fifth with $9.8 million.
Ticket sales soared 27 percent ahead of this weekend last year. Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more -- took in $164.5 million versus last year's $129.1 million.
THE TOP TEN
Warner Bros.' PG rated family comedy Scooby-Doo turned out to be one sizzling hot dog at the box office, opening to a record setting ESTIMATED $56.42 million at 3,447 theaters ($16,368 per theater).
Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Rowan Atkinson.
Scooby's average per theater was the highest for any film playing this weekend.
"It's the largest grossing June opening in motion picture history," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "The biggest June opening prior to this was Austin Powers (with $54.9 million for New Line's sequel Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me the weekend of June 11-13, 1999). It exceeds the best opening in Warner's June history, which was Batman Forever, our second Batman, (with $52.8 million the weekend of June 16-18, 1995)."
What accounts for Scooby's staggering success? "I think Scooby is a beloved character and it fits into a Looney Tunes mold (in that) it reaches audiences from eight to 80. There was such a fan base (that was even) deeper than we had anticipated. You know, Dan Romanelli and his Consumer Products Group (at Warner Bros.) have been pushing Scooby-Doo ever since they took over consumer product sales for Hanna-Barbera when (Warners) bought it. Scooby has been a big seller."
Focusing on the multiple areas at Warners that contributed to the film's blockbuster launch, Fellman pointed out that the result is a valuable new franchise with a Scooby sequel coming in two years. "It just shows," he said, "that you can take that synergy between consumer products, production, marketing and (television exposure on AOL Time Warner's) the Cartoon Network and build a new franchise. And that's what we've done. So we will have a Scooby-Doo 2 in 2004."
Universal's PG-13 espionage thriller The Bourne Identity arrived in second place, beating insider expectations with a muscular ESTIMATED $27.5 million at 2,638 theaters ($10,425 per theater).
Directed by Doug Liman, it stars Matt Damon.
"Aside from the fact that the production team really came through, I give a lot of credit to (marketing president) Adam Fogelson and his marketing team," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "In the last two weeks they were able to take this genre film and separate it from the usual spy thrillers by making it look fresh and young and hip. Using director Doug Liman, who's known for (making films with an) independent flavor, that all jelled with the campaign, which got tremendous awareness over the past two weeks. So we were really very, very pleased."
Considering how unconventional Bourne is, Rocco noted, "It's really something to open a film at this level. Matt Damon demonstrates how very talented he is. This is Matt's biggest opening for a (film that for him is) a star vehicle. The other films he was in (that opened bigger like) Ocean's Eleven and Saving Private Ryan weren't really his vehicles. So (in terms of carrying) a film on his own, this is his biggest opening."
Damon, Rocco added, "did a tremendous amount of work to open it. He toured for two weeks on the road talking about the film. I give him a lot of credit because in a crowded marketplace you really have to stand out and that's just what happened. The campaign stood out and the talent stood out and here are the results. It's great. It was a pretty big challenge for us to open this picture in such an environment where there are such high profile films and such huge budgeted competition. So to reach this level of success is quite incredible."
MGM's R rated World War II drama Windtalkers opened in third place in the thick of the box office battle with an ESTIMATED $14.5 million at 2,898 theaters ($5,003 per theatre).
Directed by John Woo, it stars Nicolas Cage.
"It was a big weekend and at least we're in that top tier of movies, so that's good," MGM marketing and distribution president Bob Levin said Sunday morning. "Obviously, we would have liked to have done more business, but our exits show we have about a 55 percent male audience, about two-thirds of them over 25. In that over-25 group, they're very strong.
"They seemed to really like the movie -- so, hopefully, they'll stay with us. They didn't come out quite in the numbers that we hoped (they would) this weekend, but with the stunning performance of Scooby-Doo, maybe they decided to take their kids to see Scooby-Doo this weekend. We'll get 'em (in the weeks ahead). It's now (a matter of) digging in and trying to keep ourselves in that upper tier and just get the business."
Paramount's PG-13 rated thriller The Sum Of All Fears slid three pegs to fourth place in its third week, holding decently given its stiff new competition with an ESTIMATED $13.5 million (-30%) at 3,155 theaters (-63 theaters; $4,180 per theater). Its cume is approximately $84.5 million, heading for $100 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson and produced by Mace Newfeld, it stars Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.
"I think $100 million is very safe now (as a domestic projection)," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "I'd anticipated a more substantial drop this weekend given the competition that came in. But it seems that the market expanded to accommodate all three of these movies (that opened)."
Given the strength of the new films, Fears held quite well. "We're very happy with that hold," Lewellen said. "We were somewhat disappointed last week, not by the end result but last Saturday we got hurt by the (championship) fight and all the sporting activities (that were on television). But we came back on Sunday, so the weekend overall last week held up pretty well.
"We felt that was kind of the opening (to do business) before Bourne Identity and Windtalkers came in, which was certainly directed at our audience. But to hold to a 30 percent drop in the face of that level competition, we're very ecstatic with that, I'll tell you."
Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films' PG-13 rated drama Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood dropped three slots in its second week to fifth place with a less lively ESTIMATED $9.8 million (-39%) at 2,507 theaters (theater count unchanged; $3,909 per theater). Its cume is approximately $35.0 million.
Directed by Calle Khouri, it stars Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan, James Garner, Ashley Judd, Shirley Knight, Angus MacFadyen and Maggie Smith.
20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's PG rated franchise installment Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones slipped three rungs to sixth place in its fifth week with a quieter ESTIMATED $9.2 million (-34%) at 2,401 theaters (-760 theaters; $3,832 per theater). Its cume is approximately $270.5 million, heading for $300 million in domestic theaters.
Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace took in $431.1 million in domestic theaters. Its worldwide total (domestic plus international) was $923 million.
Directed by George Lucas, it stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
Columbia's PG-13 sci-fi fantasy blockbuster Spider-Man fell two pegs to seventh place in its seventh week, continuing to hold well with an ESTIMATED $7.4 million (-28%) at 2,705 theaters (-530 theaters; $2,739 per theater). Its cume is approximately $382.4 million heading for $400 million in domestic theaters.
Spidey had the lowest percentage drop of any film in this weekend's Top Ten.
Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris.
Buena Vista/Touchstone and Jerry Bruckheimer Films' PG-13 rated action film Bad Company skidded four notches in its second week to eighth place with a slow $6.1 million (-45%) at 2,944 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,069 per theater). Its cume is approximately $21.8 million.
Directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock.
DreamWorks' G rated animated feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron dropped two slots to ninth place in its fourth week with an uneventful ESTIMATED $5.5 million (-40%) at 2,873 theaters (-489 theaters; $1,931 per theater). Its cume is approximately $63.8 million.
Directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, it was produced by Mireille Soria and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-13 rated urban appeal comedy Undercover Brother, down three rungs in its third week to a quiet ESTIMATED $4.64 million (-37%) at 1,832 theaters (-337 theaters; $2,530 per theater). Its cume is approximately $31.6 million.
Directed by Malcom D. Lee, it stars Eddie Griffin, Chris Kattan and Denise Richards. Its producers are Brian Grazer, Michael Jenkinson and Damon Lee.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Miramax's R rated classic drama Cinema Paradiso: The New Version with an okay ESTIMATED $27,000 at 3 theaters ($9,000 per theater).
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, it stars Philippe Noiret.
Think Film's R rated dark comedy The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys opened quietly to an ESTIMATED $57,000 at 9 theaters ($6,356 per theater).
Directed by Peter Care, it stars Kieran Culkin.
Paramount Classics' romantic comedy The Emperor's New Clothes opened poorly to an ESTIMATED $8,000 at 2 theaters ($3,810 per theater).
Directed by Alan Taylor, it stars Ian Holm.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend IFC Films' PG rated romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding went wider in its ninth week with a still happy ESTIMATED $1.7 million at 453 theaters (+10 theaters; $3,745 per theater). Its cume is approximately $13.6 million.
Directed by Joel Zwick, it stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett.
Miramax's PG rated comedy The Importance of Being Earnest widened quietly in its fourth week to an ESTIMATED $0.62 million at 180 theaters ($3,416 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.4 million.
Directed by Oliver Parker, it stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
Miramax said Earnest will expand to 250 theaters June 28.
Fine Line Features' R rated drama Cherish expanded in its second week with an unexciting ESTIMATED $46,000 at 25 theaters (+19 theaters; $1,825 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.1 million.
Written and directed by Finn Taylor, it stars Robin Tunney.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $164.54 million, up 27.4 percent from last year when they totaled $129.15 million.
Key films were up 56.54 percent from the previous weekend of this year when they grossed $105.11 million.
Last year, Paramount's opening week of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was first with $47.74 million at 3,308 theaters ($14,430 per theater); and Buena Vista/Disney's second week of Atlantis: The Lost Empire was second with $20.34 million at 3,011 theaters ($6,756 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $58.0 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $83.9 million.

Starred as a gay son in "The Lost Language of Cranes" for the BBC (later shown in the U.S. on PBS)

Appeared in numerous productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Theatre, including "The Tempest" and "Cloud Nine"

Landed a starring role in "A Woman's a Helluva Thing"

Cast opposite Sandra Bullock in the "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"

Reprised role for the fourth installment of the gory franchise "Saw IV"

Won the Questor Award for writing the play "1905," a sequel of sorts to Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya"

Summary

With his brooding dark looks and intense blue eyes, Angus Macfadyen made an auspicious debut and gained international prominence as Robert the Bruce in Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning epic "Braveheart" (1995).